Closure for flexible receptacles



April 2 8, 1942. N. oTTlNGER CLOSURE FOR FLEXIBLE RECEPTACL-ES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 /VA THA /vD 0T T//VQER BY Mm April 28, 1942. N. oTnNGER GLOSURE FOR FLEXIBLE RECEPTAGLES 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 25, 1958 INVENTOR NATHAN 0T T/NGER BY MMM@ CAW-K ATTORNEYS Patented Apr. 28, 1942 UNITED STATES Parr 3 Claims.

The invention relates to a closure for flexible receptacles such as an envelope, bag, or other container, usually fabricated of paper, leather, linen, or other flexible material, being also applicable to other articles, for instance, of v personal wear, having two opposed parts or walls to be secured together, and in which a simple and secure releasable closure is desired.

My invention is also adapted for use in the bellows type of expansible container, specific embodiments of my novel structure in its application to such containerbeing shown by way of illustration but not by way of limitation, in the accompanying drawings.

My invention is also adapted for application to ordinary commercial envelopes, designed for transmission through the mails unsealed and yet securely but releasably closed.

Flexible receptacles, such as envelopes of the expanding type, are generally provided with a nap extending from the upper edge of the 'rear panel and folding over the front panel, and are closed by tieing a tape around the envelope or a string secured at one end to the rear panel,

around a button attached to the front panel, and

have no carrying handle unless one be specially provided and attached to the upper edge of the envelope.

It is an object of the present invention topro-y vide a ilexible receptacle, suchas an' envelope or expansible container, which may be fabricated with facility and at a minimum of cost and yet yield a strong, durable, simple, and inexpensivek construction highly serviceable in practical use.

A particular object of the invention is to provide a container with means for releasably closing the container by a simple mechanical expedient, including the provision of an elongated horizontally extending pocket, as `distinguished from a mere slot, in the front panel of the container, which pocket is adapted to receive a closure tab extending, in one particular embodiment of my invention, from the downwardly turned portion of the rear panel of the container and extending over a substantial part of such front panel.

Thus, the invention provides a construction of such container in which the elongated aperture, capable of utilization as a bearing for the lingers in supporting the envelope in a convenient carrying position, constituting va bearing slot, is provided with a backing or otherreinforcing strip of material effective throughout substantially all of the peripheral edges of the slot, soas to form a pocket for receiving the closure tab and/or itself to variations in the bulk of the contents of, for instance, the expansible envelope constituting the container and will enable the person carrying the envelope to support the bulk of such contents in a position in which the eny velope may be held close to the body so as to require a smaller degree of strength and effort in carrying a bulky package. The position of the closure is such that the envelope, with the lingers, inserted into the closure pocket, may be conveniently supported with a slight pressure upon its contents to keep themv from movement with the swaying of the body, as in walking.

In accordance with my novel construction, it is also possible to insert into the envelope and to remove therefrom any quantity of matter Without interference, by the aperture inlthe front panel, in the course of such insertion or removal, as the reinforcing backing of the slot permits the easy sliding into and out of the envelope of papers and other material carried in the container.

Other objects of my invention, for instance, the saving in amount oi materialnecessarily used in the fabrication of the envelope, will appear from the following description of several embodiments of my inventive structure selected for illustration.

In the accompanying drawings, I have shown three specic embodiments of my invention. In such drawings, Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the preferred embodiment of my novel ccnstruction of an expansible envelope, with the closure iiapr thereof in open position; Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the envelope, along lines 2-2 of Fig. 5, in the fully collapsed or flat condition of the envelope; Fig. 3 is a vertical section through the envelope in its expanded condition, in which a substantial bulk of material, for instance papers, may be conveniently stored and carried; Fig, 4 is a plan view of a blank of material such as paper, leather, linen or other textile material, of which my novel envelope may be formed; Fig. 5 is a front View of the envelope of the preferred embodiment in its at, substantially fully collapsed condition; Fig. 6 is a section on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5; Fig. 7 is a face view of a slightly modified form of envelope constructed in accordance with my invention and designed to replace the clumsy, unsightly, and unsatisfactory carry-bags now used in department stores; Fig. 8 is a plan View of a blank of sheet material from which still another embodiment of my invention may be formed; and Fig. 9 is a face view of such embodiment of my invention.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, in which similar reference characters identify similar parts in the several views, the envelope or expansible container illustrated in Figs. 1-6 inclusive, is formed from a single blank of sheet material (Fig. 4), in which the rear panel III has extending from one longitudinal edge thereof a closing flap I I and from the opposite longitudinal edge thereof bellows folds I2, from which extends the front panel I3. Extending from each side of the rear panel Ill is a flap I4 and extending from each side of the front panel is a ap I5. The rear panel I3 is demarked by horizontal score lines IG and I1 and vertical score lines I8y and I9. Each of the side flaps I4 extending from the rear panel are provided with vertical score lines 26 ruiming substantially along the centers of such flaps.

The front panel I3 is demarked by a horizontal score line 2| and vertical score lines 22,

The bellows folds I2 are formed by the horizontal score lines I1 and ZI and an intermediate horizontal score line 23. Angularly disposed score lines 24 are utilized in the folding of the blank to form the vbellows folds, as will be understood by those skilled in the art. Extending from the bellows folds, I2, I2 are integral flaps 25, utilized in forming the corners of the bellows folds.

The closure ap II is provided, at a distance from the top of the back panel, approximating the desired thickness of the envelope in its fully expanded condition, with a score line 26. The closure -ap at its upper center has an integral extension or tab 21 having score lines 28 therein.

The front panel I3, at a point in vertical alignment with the tab 21, is provided with an elongated aperture 30, of substantially the same length as that of the widest portion of the tab 21. The front panel is formed with cut-outs, leaving an integral extension 3l separated from the body of the panel by a score line 32 and slit 33, the bottom portion of the integral extension being provided with an elongated slot 34 of substantially the same conguration and dimensions las the slot 3U in the body of the front panel. The material surrounding the slot 34 is -coated with an adhesive composition 35, for the purpose hereinafter described.

The .blank of sheet material above described is folded along the various score lines in a manner which will be evident to those skilled inthe art, by rst forming the bellows folds and then the end folds with the flaps I5 interposed between the folded portions of the flaps I4, as will be more clearly visualized from Fig. 1. Before this enfolding of the flaps I5 is accomplished, the lower portion of the extension 3l, i. e., that portion which is provided with the adhesive coating 35, is folded downwardly along the score line 351l and then again folded along the score line 32 thereby bringing the extension 3I opposite the portion of the front panel I3 which surrounds the elongated slot 30. The adhesive coating 35, facing the back of the panel I3, having been moistened, the extension 3I is rmly secured to the front panel I3 by means of such adhesive. The edges of the slot 34 will thus be brought into exact correspondance with the edges of the slot 30, as shown in Fig. 1. The front panel will thus have the major portion of its upper half cut away, facilitating the insertion of papers into the envelope thus formed.

The closure flap II may then be folded down so as to overlie the front panel, and the tab 21 thereof engaged within the two slots 30 and 34, the end portion of the tab being inserted into the space .between the rear face of the front panel and the reinforcing backing for the elongated slots formed by the extension 3I. The envelope, the closure of which has been thus effected, may be carried by inserting the fingers of the hand into the slots in the front panel, With the fingers in contact both with the reinforcing strip extending rearwardly of the slots and with the portion of the tab 21 which extends upwardly within the pocket thus formed by the front panel and the slot reinforcement y backing.

' The embodiment of my invention illustrated in Fig. 7 differs from that illustrated in Figs. 1 6, inclusive, in having a backing reinforcing strip 36 for the pocket, `consisting of a separate strip of material secured to the rear surface of the front panel by a suitable adhesive or other means. This separate strip could also be continued to fold over and be attached to the front surface of the front panel with an elongated slot corresponding to and concentric with the slot in the front panel itself.

This embodiment of my invention constitutes a carry bag Iand exhibits all of the advantages hereinabove enumerated with respect to the first embodiment, -as applied in the construction of an expansible envelope.

The embodiment of my invention illustrated in Figs. 8 and 9 differs from that illustrated in Fig. '7 in that the rear panel 31 has lateral flaps 38, 39 on each side, which fold inwardly upon it, and is otherwise open at its sides. Such a structure is of particular utility in receiving papers, swatches of cloth, ribbon, etc., as salesmens samples, in flat condition, maintaining the same in such condition, and being capable of being exhibited or withdrawn from the receptacle, in such condition.

While I have described particular embodiments of my invention, it is obvious that various changes in the particular construction of the receptacles, to whichmy novel closures are applicable, particularly in the configuration and arrangement of the several elements thereof, may be made without departing from my invention. Thus, each of the three embodiments of my invention embody a construction in which there is provided upon one panel of the receptacle or envelope a pocket reinforced by a backing so as to provide a rear surface for such panel of the envelope in substantial juxtaposition with the slot formed therein for receiving the closure tab and the ngers. Any structure of envelope, Whether or not made precisely in accord-ance with the specific embodiments of my invention hereinabove described, but embodying this novel closure structure, is intended to be covered by the appended claims.

I claim:

l. A carry-bag constituted of a single sheet of flexible material having two opposed parts to be joined together, said sheet of material having a plurality of tabs extending from the two opposed parts respectively to form the side elements of the article, the front part having a strip extending from substantially its median horizontal line and Within the circumferential ambit of the article, an elongated opening of suflicient size to receive a plurality of the ngers of a hand, in at least one of said parts, a sheet of material constituting a backing for said opening and for abutment by the lingers of the hand extending through said opening, and a closure tab adapted for insertion into said opening in said part, so as to lie lbetween the inner surface of said panel and said Ibacking sheet of material, to releasably close the bag, the strip extending from the front part being folded over to constitute a backing for the front part immediately rearwardly of the elongated opening in said part.

2. A carry-bag of flexible material having two panels, an elongated opening of sucient size to receive a plurality of the lingers of a hand, in at least one of said panels, a sheet of material constituting a backing for said opening, and for abutment by the lingers of the hand extending through said opening, whereby a pocket is formed in said panel for receiving the ngers in supporting the bag in carrying position, one of the panels having cut therefrom a strip of the material constituting such panel, the strip being folded over along a line extending substantially horizontally across the face of the panel, so as to extend along the inner surface of said panel and to constitute a backing for the opening in said panel.

8. A carry-bag of flexible material having two panels, an elongated opening of sulcient size to receive a plurality of the lingers of a hand, in at least one of said panels, a sheet of material constituting a backing for said opening, and for abutment -by the lingers of the hand extending through said opening, whereby a pocket is formed in said panel for receiving the fingers in supporting the bag in carrying position, the backing for the opening being constituted of part of a strip of material folded over and disposed along the upper edge portions of the panel, so as to extend over part of the front surface of the panel and over part of the rear surface thereof, the front folded-over portion having an aperture substantially like, in conliguration and dimension, with the elongated slot in the panel, the rear folded-over portion of said strip being secured to the rear face of said panel.

NATHAN OTTINGER. 

